Businesses and truck drivers must wait till Tuesday for news on New York Thruway toll hike

Syracuse, N.Y. -- The New York State Thruway Authority postponed till Tuesday a meeting that could result in a 45 percent toll increase on truck traffic without providing any details about the delay or the possible vote.

Dan Weiller, a spokesman for the authority, declined to explain the delay and said there is no agenda yet for the meeting, scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Board member Richard Simberg, of Oneida, referred calls on Friday to Weiller. When asked what was on Tuesday’s agenda, Simberg said: “I’m not sure. I’d rather have you talk to Dan Weiller.”

Authority Chairman Howard Milstein put forward the toll hike in May. It was scheduled to take effect Sept. 30, though the board has not acted on the proposal to increase fees for trucks with three or more axles.

A truck trip from Buffalo to New York City now costs $88. Under the proposal it would rise to $127. The authority held three public hearings on the hike proposal, including one in DeWitt.

The Thruway authority has said it needs the increased revenues to keep its debt at a certain level as a promise to bond holders. By state law, the authority has no limit on how much it can borrow. Its total outstanding debt is $3.7 billion, according to a Thruway audit report submitted to the New York State Authorities Budget Office.

The authority is suffering on the operations side as well.

Last year, the Thruway collected $634 million in tolls, the majority of its revenue source. But it spent $760 million, leaving a $92 million budget gap.

Tolls for all travelers increased in 2009 and 2010, 5 percent each year.

A new state law requires agencies to put documents online that are to be considered at public meetings. There is no time requirement in the law, but if the agency knows certain resolutions will be discussed, it should produce them ahead of convening, according to Robert Freeman, the executive director of the state's Committee for Open Government.

Freeman said there is no requirement that an agency produce an agenda prior to a meeting.